Humans can adapt to a wide range of environments, physical and
emotional. But that adaptation comes at a cost. Our high
alert system, perfectly suited to short times of intense stress, such
as finding a tiger in our camp, can eventually turn against us.

The same hormones that accelerate heart rate and blood pressure to
prepare us to run from danger can predispose us to a wide range of
illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, depression hypertension
and hardening of the arteries if sustained at high levels over time.

In the short run, our stress hormones, cortisol, adrenalin and
noradrenalin, raise heart and metabolic rates, make our brains work
more efficiently, and improve our immune system’s ability to fight
infection.

After prolonged or repeated stress, the fight or flight response becomes
impaired. The body produces the same hormones, but loses the
ability to regulate them properly. Hormones can spike at random,
disturbing sleep. High levels of stress hormones suppress the
immune system, cause damage to memory centers, increase the
production of inflammation, and change our metabolism to favor fat
storage around the abdomen.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
If you think you have health problems related to long term stress, start by
committing to four changes. You may take on one new one per week:
Eat a healthy balanced diet, see diet section
Develop a network of people who care about you, support you and make
you laugh
Get regular moderate, not strenuous exercise.
Adopt a relaxation technique

TESTINGOver time the adrenal glands, producers of stress hormones, can tire, or burn
out, resulting in fatigue, abdominal weight gain and sleep disturbances.
These symptoms can mimic hypothyroidism and other endocrine problems.
Current research indicates that, because of the variations in adrenal hormone
levels during the course of the day, and because everyone's stress hormones
change differently when they have blood drawn, it is best to test for adrenal insufficiency using
saliva. Samples are collected at several times throughout
the day. these tests are generally covered by your insurance if the
diagnosis is adrenal insufficiency.

Medical Treatment:
Medical treatments for adrenal insufficiency include increasing salt in
the diet, and sometimes replacing missing stress hormones for a time. While these
interventions may help, it is also essential to
replace missing nutrients and remove oneself from or changing one's reaction to the stressors that
could be causing or exacerbating the problem. For chronic stress,
mind-body techniques are usually most
effective.